Kellie Pickler Not a Fan of Cameras at Concerts: ‘It’s Rude and Disrespectful’

It’s hard to go to a concert in 2015 without seeing a sea of glowing smartphones in the audience, but some artists wish that wasn’t the case. Kellie Pickler made it known to InStyle magazine that she doesn’t appreciate the prevalence of cameras and iPhones at her shows.

“There is no eye contact anymore,” the singer says. “At my concerts when I’m performing, sometimes all I notice are people’s phones. It’s very distracting. I think about the people who paid all this money to be in the front row, and they’re holding up their phones. They could have sat at home and watched me on YouTube.”

She has a point, for sure. And the proof of her conviction is in her performances. The artist says she doesn’t even acknowledge the fans who aren’t engaged. To her, it’s not worth trying to overcome the digital blockade.

“I dismiss the people with their phones and try to perform to the people paying attention. If someone is standing with their phone in front of their face the whole time, there is a barrier. It’s like they put up a shield that says they don’t want to be bothered. It’s rude and disrespectful. I’d much rather spend my time engaging with someone and thinking to myself, why they connect with the song. You have to be present. You have to be in the moment.”

Some artists offer a different perspective, however. Dustin Lynch has gone on the record to say he welcomes social media and technology into his concerts.

“When they post it to social media and to Snapchat, it’s the whole, ‘Wish you were here,’ or ‘You shoulda came,'” Lynch told ABC News. “So, it’s a great advertisement, too, for us.”

The singer actually loves when the phones come out at the beginning of the show — it’s testament to the excitement in the room.

“A lot of people get there four or five hours early, and they’re just standing, waiting,” Lynch explains, “So, when we hit the stage, that first song, the phones are out, the Snapchats are going off, and they’re videoing and taking the pictures.”

But to Pickler, it's an overarching problem in today’s world. It’s not just about her music — it’s about missing out on real life connection for the sake of online interaction.

“Social media is obviously a good tool to promote whatever it is that you’re doing or keep in touch with loved ones that are not in the same place,” she insists. “But you have to know when to disconnect from that world or you lose yourself really fast. I’d rather have coffee or a drink and just talk in person. I’m all about eye contact. I live in the present.”

Pickler has been busy not only with her music, but in her career on television, as she and her husband are launching a reality show on CMT called I Love Kellie Pickler,debuting Nov. 5, and she is also working on a life-style daytime talk show with Faith Hill as Executive Producer.